Destiny
by MistressArafaxdeep
Summary: Hinata, deeply heart broken due to Naruto and Sakura's progressing relationship, goes to the one person who might assist her in getting Naruto's attention, Sasuke. The story of Sasuke and Hinata's relationship, as told by them.
1. Hinata's Story

_Hey everyone! This is a first person POV excercise that got just a tad bit out of hand. I also want to thank Sith Mistress for letting me write most of this story to her over Myspace IM. Seriously, IM stories are the greatest thing ever._

_Okay...you ought to be able to figure out who's this story is. I don't own any characters. Now that the obligatory disclaimer is written, please enjoy!_

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If you had asked me when I was thirteen, what I wanted for my future, I would have told you that I wanted to marry Naruto. Okay, I wouldn't have said it out loud. I probably wouldn't have said anything at all. But I would have thought it, and it was true, I wanted to get Naruto's attention. I wanted it bad. It's funny how destiny has a way of slapping us in the face though. I've grown a lot since then and have gotten much bolder, but I still don't think I could actually say any of this to you in person. This is why writing my own story was the perfect way for me to say all of this with no holds barred.

I grew up the Hyuuga heiress. I was my mother's daughter, quiet, withdrawn, and kind. I remember her well, a smiling figure vaguely etched in the back of my mind. I also remember the excitement I felt at the prospect of being a big sister. And when Hanabi was born, I was the typical older sister, holding her, changing her diaper, anything I could do to help my mother even though I was only 5. The whole time secretly dreaming about the day I'd have my own children and when I'd be grown up and get to wear pretty dresses and get married.

The joy of Hanabi's birth passed quickly. Mother fell ill very shortly after that. I can remember being very scared because I was confused. I didn't know why all those strange men and women were constantly surrounding my mother. Hanabi had a wet nurse, but that had been arranged even before Mother's health began to fail.

I remember the day I was called in to see her. My mother, lying on her bed, pale and weak. She looked up at me, smiling weakly. "I'm sorry I have to leave you Hinata," she told me. I was crying, asking her where she was going and why I couldn't come with her. "Mommy is very sick," she said, letting her head fall back against the pillow. "I'm going to a place where I'll never be sick again. You can't go there now. But someday, when you're older, you'll see me there." I could only nod mutely as my tears continued to fall and I buried my head into her chest. She stroked my hair. We stayed that way until I was taken away. That was the last time I saw my mother.

After that it became painfully obvious how much I was like her. I think this is why my father disliked me so much. Not because he truly thought I was weak (although I will agree that I was), but because I reminded him of her. The memory hurt him, so he pushed it away by pushing me away. He tried to train my mother out of me, I think, pushing me, putting me down in hopes that it would inspire me to work harder and become a suitable heir. I didn't respond well to this kind of treatment and shut down. He sent me to the academy then, so that they could make me a ninja.

I don't remember ever really thinking about being a ninja as a child. I knew that I was a princess and would run the family one day. In order to do that I had to do what my father told me. I didn't really have any dreams for my future. Well other than the ones I mentioned before, but those are in every little girl's dreams.

When I went to school, I found out how shy I really was. Everyone intimidated me so I didn't talk to anyone. I was so lonely. I'd go home and get ignored by my father, and I'd go to school and be just as miserable. I guess that was why I noticed Naruto. We were six. I was lonely, and he was lonely. My crush started forming then, and it maintained the same level of innocence the whole time it existed. A childish crush based on assumed mutual loneliness.

I guess another of the more memorable memories I have is when I realized that Sasuke, too, was lonely. I didn't really understand about what had happened to his clan. But I did know that they were all gone. He was the only one left. I wanted to help him then, I can remember that much. Offer him someplace to stay so he wouldn't be alone. And even back then, he had pride and an ego and when I tried to ask, flustered as I was, he brushed me off stoically. He was Sasuke the proud and only member of the prestigious Uchiha clan. Father always had mixed feeling towards them. In some ways they were far superior to the Hyuuga, but common belief was that the Sharingan was just a mutated version (or in most clan member's eyes, a "watered down" version) of our own eye jutsu.

Personally I never thought that it was watered down. The Sharingan scared me when I was younger. At thirteen, watching Sasuke battle had scared me. The brilliant red eyes stood out and seemed so much more malicious that even my own cousin's when he had tried to take my life. Don't think I'm forgetting Neji's part of this story. I'm not. He's a very important part of my life. And I was very glad when he was revealed the truth of his father's death and came to forgive me. His friendship is highly cherished. But I'll get to that in a minute.

Anyways, a lot happened when I was thirteen. Especially with said Uchiha. First, the second matches of the Chuunin exams. I of course was coughing blood at the moment, due to the hit Neji landed during our match. I thought Neji got what he deserved when Naruto beat him. And I'm very glad Naruto did beat Neji, because afterwards my father talked to him, and Neji overcame his hatred for the Main family. We became friends after that. He was my guardian, living up to his duties as a Branch family member. But I don't think either of us saw the relationship like that. He was my older brother, looking out for his little sister. Close enough considering that we're cousins who live together. Might as well be siblings.

After that, Konoha was attacked by Orochimaru and the Sound village. Everybody fought to protect the village in some way. Everyone helped in their own way. I was only told of Naruto's stunning victory of Sabaku no Gaara. But everything worked out okay, even though the village was left without a Hokage. He was eventually replaced with Tsunade, and things seemed to be going normally again. That was when Sasuke left.

I wasn't involved with tracking him down. A good thing considering the wounds those who'd gone came back with. Neji had a hole in his chest. I was certain he would die, but thankfully Tsunade was there and was able to heal him. Kiba got pretty badly injured as well, though he was more concerned for Akarmaru and insisted that his injuries had been self inflicted. I took care of both of them for a while after that, making sure he stayed healthy. I sort of forgot about Sasuke then, concentrating on learning a new style of fighting, one that was more effective for me. At one point, Naruto's sulking over Sasuke's leaving caused me to want to at least try to do something about it. Try as we might, nothing could be discovered. Sasuke was gone.

Not too long after that, Naruto left with Jiraiya to train. I was once again lonely. But it wasn't on the same level as before. I had friends around who cared for me. Neji, Kiba, Shino, Kurenai…they all looked out for me and tried to make me happy. I trained hard, gaining respect from many people, including me father who finally accepted me as the heir to the house. I was happy for those few years. Very happy. I almost completely forgot about Naruto, even though his memory was a driving force in the back of my mind.

I had several years of successful training, Naruto came back. I was shocked to see how much he'd grown. He looked so much more mature. I even went back to my blushing, stuttering self. Because being around Naruto made me flustered. I even fainted. It was very silly of me. Going back to the way I was after so many successful steps forward. It actually made me angry. Why was I unable to face Naruto?

He continued on his mission to get Sasuke back. I had my own missions and training to take care of. I saw him on and off, whenever he had a few days rest. He never stayed in Konoha long. Tsunade was moving him around so it would be harder for the Akatsuki to locate him. The death of Asuma was a hard on everyone. Especially us on team 8. Kurenai was devastated, and with her being two months pregnant with Asuma's child, it wasn't hard to see why. I comforted her as best as I could, as did Kiba and Shino. But then all of us went out on a mission to get Sasuke back.

I guess I've finally gotten to the part most of you were waiting for. How Sasuke and I ended up falling in love. It took awhile. He says it took him about six months to realize he cared for me. It took me a little longer than that. I was of course upset by the progress of Naruto's relationship with Sakura. I'd noticed how close the two were on our trip to get Sasuke back. I'd tried to ignore it, the feeling that twisted my guts and told me that I'd lost.

But I knew that if Naruto had Sakura, he would be happy. I was willing to give up my own happiness for him. It hurt me, cut me deep, but I kept a stoic mask on. This was very difficult, but the mission came before my emotions, and this was a very important one. One that relied on me to locate Sasuke with my Byakugan.

It took us a while to catch his scent, even longer to actually find him. Thanks to my Byakugan, we got to the Uchiha brothers in time to watch the bloody conclusion of their battle. As far as I know, Itachi is dead. Though that doesn't mean he is for certain. The man is nearly invincible, and he could have found a way to revive himself. Sasuke had gotten the truth out of him, and had been confused, questioning why he'd wasted his life thus far and sought after only revenge. He was just a pawn in a game, and he resented himself for it. When he saw us, he decided to leave with us. I'm not sure what made him give in so easily after that. I guess the reason for his life had just shattered, and he no longer cared. He had no reason to run away. So he came with us quietly. We were wary of a trap, especially when Sasuke asked if he could dismiss his team.

We allowed him to do so, only as long as we could be there with him to ensure he didn't run. It was rather interesting because as soon as we showed up without Itachi, the blue haired shark-like man took off in the direction we'd come from, presumably to take care of his partner. Sasuke told his team to leave, that everything was finished. They were reluctant to leave him. But at his insistence they did as asked. He was still their superior, even if he was leaving them.

I should probably make it clear that I did not have feelings for Sasuke then. I was still crushed from losing Naruto. Actually I stayed in that heartbroken state for a while, clinging to the hope that maybe he'd lose interest in Sakura. Hoping that maybe the door would open back up for me.

They put Sasuke under house arrest, making sure that he would escape. It was a special house. There was absolutely no way for him to escape, and even if he did there were Anbu waiting for him. He was trapped. Sasuke couldn't blame them, I guess. He deserved it after betraying the village. He was allowed visitors. I know Sakura and Naruto went to visit him all the time. They would talk about how he was doing after every visit. Apparently it wasn't very good. Sasuke was even more irritable now than they'd have thought he'd be.

Deep inside of me, I understood what he was feeling. He'd lost his purpose. I felt the same too, though not quite on the same level. Naruto had been my purpose. And now he was gone, out of my grasp. "Naruto," I can remember asking, "Why does he mean so much to you?"

I got a very generic Naruto answer back. "He's my best friend! And I made a promise to get him back!" He was all grins as he wrapped his arm around Sakura's waist.

I averted my gaze, quietly saying, "I see." But he had answered nothing. I already had known everything he'd told me.

I idly wondered if Sasuke would have the answer. Of course this thought wouldn't get out of my head. I had to know. I had to know what made him special to Naruto. It took me several weeks to final gather the courage to go talk to Sasuke. And I was intimidated the moment I walked into the house. I could almost feel his anguish, the loneliness that I had suspected so long ago. I really didn't know what I was going to say. I didn't know if I'd be able to say anything. When I saw him, he was sitting cross legged on the floor, blankly staring at the wall. He didn't even acknowledge my presence. So I turned and left.

I had been a chicken but the question still lingered in my thoughts. I wondered what made Sasuke special to Naruto. I wondered if maybe I found out I could learn it and attract Naruto's attention. It was my lifeline, the small bit of hope that I hung on to desperately. So obviously, it wasn't too long after that, I went back.

This time he was a little more alert, a little less oppressive. This time he spoke. "Why are you here?" his voice asked, ice cold and emotionless.

I squeaked, trying to find the words to say. And for some reason, the words didn't come out. Tears did. The tears I'd been bottling up for so long. I started crying, falling on my knees and putting my forehead on the floor. I cried, sobbing about how much it hurt, all of my past scars and losing Naruto. I don't think Sasuke caught any of what I said. I'd blurted it out too fast.

He hadn't moved during any of my crying, only staring at me with mild interest displayed in his cocked eyebrow. I finally got control of myself and stop crying. I looked into Uchiha Sasuke's ebony eyes and sucked in a breath to steady myself. "I was wondering...if you could tell me...why are you so important to him?"

Sasuke stared past me. "We...share...similar paths."

I was confused, but I nodded and stood up to leave. "Hinata?" he called after me. I turned. "That's your name, right?" he asked.

I nodded. "Hai. I'm Hyuuga Hinata."

He closed his eyes. "Is this the first time we've spoken?"

I thought back and couldn't recall talking to him directly before. "I...think so," I answered unsteadily.

His eyes opened once more and he looked at me, eyes burning with agony. "Come again. I'll tell you what you want to know." I turned around abruptly and left, entirely uncomfortable about the feeling his presence stirred in me but excited about getting my question answered.

It took me a week of battling with myself to finally decide to go back and talk to Sasuke. I was uncomfortable around him because his aura intimidated me, but I really wanted to know. Eventually the thirst for knowledge won out, and I went back.

He didn't look up at me when I entered. He was sitting at a table drinking tea. "I was expecting you," he said, setting the cup down. I nodded and gulped. He gestured for me to sit down opposite him, and I did as asked, sinking onto my knees at the table in the place across from him.

I poured myself a cup of tea. Both of us seemed reluctant to start the conversation or even look at each other. So, in an attempt to jumpstart the conversation, I looked up at him. He swallowed. "Why is knowing important to you?" he'd asked me.

I was confused. "What?"

"Why do you want to know what it is that makes me special to Naruto?"

"I…I…" I was stuttering again. He kept his eyes off of me, gazing off into the distance. That helped me relax a bit, not having to meet his gaze. This was sort of embarrassing, especially for me to be telling him of all people. "I want to uh...see if I can get his attention. And you seemed to have had it, so I was wondering how."

Sasuke had an amused expression on his face. "What?" I asked. He just shook his head.

"You won't win," he told me gently. I was confused. "He's not going to give Sakura up for you. I may not have been around much lately, but I know how he was before..." This of course only provoked me into tears. I buried my head into my hands, crying. I didn't exactly understand why I was willing to cry in front of Sasuke. He was probably the last person in the world who I should have felt comfortable crying in front of. But for some reason, whether it was his withdrawn demeanor or the disinterest he seemed to portray, I didn't care. So I cried.

Eventually my tears ran out. I looked up only to meet his onyx eyes, my tears drying on my face. "You're in pain," he remarked flatly. I clutched my chest, trying to will the feeling away. I stood up and ran out, leaving Sasuke just sitting there. My heart was in too much pain. I raced off to my house, running into my bedroom to bury my head into my pillow just so the tears could start again.

I guess I fell asleep because the next thing that I remember was Hanabi waking me up for dinner. I felt terrible, my head hurt and I knew that I had to look rough from crying myself to sleep. I sat down, eating the prepared meal glumly. Everyone noticed my bad mood, because everyone kept sneaking glances at me. No one said anything, and after I'd finished, I excused myself and went back to my room.

A little while later there was a knock on my door. The door opened a crack and I saw the worried face of my cousin. "Hinata?" he asked quietly. "Can I come in?"

I nodded. I was sitting at my desk. Neji sat down on my bed. "What's bothering you?" he asked.

"I...I'm upset about...Naruto."

Neji nodded in understanding. "It's okay, Hinata. The boy never noticed you. He only had eyes for one person and that was Sakura. You deserve better than that."

Of course, Neji hit the sensitive nerve as well. My throat started cracking, but I refused to cry again as I said, "I only had eyes for him, nii-san."

"Oh Hinata," he said, standing up shaking his head. "Broken hearts take a while to mend. With time you'll see how everything works out for the better."

He left me then, letting me wallow in my own self-pity. Neji was smart enough to know that there was nothing he could do to make anything better. After several hours of depressive thoughts, I decided to go to bed. Crying has a way of leaving you exhausted. I climbed in bed. I was surprised when Hanabi came in then and snuggled up against me. "It's okay, Nata-chan," she whispered using her nickname for me. "You'll be okay."

The next week passed with me feeling incredibly heart-broken. I had lost all of my hope thanks to Sasuke. That of course was making me angry at him. He was dragging me to the same place he was at emotionally, unintentionally of course. He probably had no idea that I had been hiding in my room for the last week.

I wasn't planning on going back to see him again. But I had been out eating with my team. I went my separate way so that I could go home. That's when I walked past the building. All the lights were off, and I was a little concerned. The sun had just set after all. It wasn't late. So I walked in, flicking on a light switch as I went. I searched around the house, coming to his little living area. I saw a form lying on the couch, just looking up at the ceiling. "Why are you here?" the form grumbled.

"I...noticed all the lights were off and wondered if something was wrong." He glanced over at me, and then sighed.

"I'm sorry," he said.

I was perplexed. Why was he sorry? "I didn't mean to make you cry last...time."

I bowed my head, looking at the floor. "Uh...it's okay. You were telling me the truth." I didn't know why I couldn't be angry with him, even though I had wanted to be earlier.

He sat up then. "Do I...never mind," he started asking before closing his mouth.

"What?" I prompted.

"Am I frightening to you?"

I gasped and covered my mouth with my hand. "Yes...when you ask questions like that," I replied, forcing my heart to beat at a regular rhythm. He just smirked. A smile wanted to spread across my face but I didn't let it. "It depends on how you act. You're not too bad right now."

He stood up and made his way into the little kitchen. He looked through his refrigerator, only to slam the door with disgust and said, "Nothing good."

I realized I had brought my extra food home with me. "Do you want this?" I asked, offering him my bag. He glanced over at me, eyed my bag and then looked at my face. He nodded, so I walked over to him and gave him the food. "I have to go," I said as he opened up the box. "It's getting late. I need to go home."

He nodded at me. "Come over again sometime," he told me. "It's so lonely in here whenever I don't have visitors." He looked down sadly.

"I'll come by next week," I said quietly. Sasuke nodded, and I walked out of the house.

The next week came. I went to see Sasuke in the afternoon and while I was there Sakura and Naruto came in together. This tore open the still fresh scab. I sat stoically, staring at Sasuke in an attempt to block them out completely. But I couldn't do it, and when they left, I pulled my knees to my chest and was sobbing again. Sasuke sat down beside me almost awkwardly, being a presence so that I knew I wasn't all by myself. Like usual, I gained my composure, sniffling. My eyes were red, and I knew that I couldn't have looked good. Sasuke stood up when I was feeling better and said, "You might want to wash up before you leave. It'll feel good to wash away the tears with fresh water."

I nodded and did as he'd suggested. The cool tap water really did sooth the burning feeling on my eyelids, and take away the gritty feeling the trails of tears had left on my face. I dried off my face and turned around to say goodbye to Sasuke. He was sitting on his couch reading a book. He glanced up at me when I walked in. "Did it help?" he asked, referring to washing my face.

"It did. How did you know it would help?"

"I have spent a lot of time...in tears," he said. "It was a long time ago, I don't cry anymore, but I remember how it felt."

Hinata nodded. "Well thank you for your advice," she said. "I'll see you next week then?" I didn't even realize that it had come out of my mouth. Meeting once a week was becoming a habit for us. He nodded his agreement and then I left.

We continued to meet once a week for the next four months. Most of the time we would simply just drink tea and chat about irrelevant things. He asked me a lot about the Hyuuga clan's politics, and I explained them as best as I could. I knew them all of course, put some of them are difficult to explain. We were comfortable with each other. I was still quiet and shy, and he was still aloof and removed. But we were okay with sitting quietly and drinking tea when conversation wasn't needed.

During the fifth month, I decided to take Sasuke lunch one time. This ended disastrously. Neji caught me sneaking the food out of the house. "Who's this for?" he asked me.

"I'm going on a...picnic," I answered hoping he wouldn't continue his questions.

"With who?"

I sighed in defeat. I had known that this was going to be bad. "Sasuke," I answered quietly.

I was right though. Neji got very agitated, telling me that I shouldn't be eating lunch with a criminal. I just told him to get over it and walked out. I guess I didn't realize I was starting to become more like Sasuke as time went on.

The lunch was unremarkable. It was the fact that Neji decided that he was going to make it his personal mission to keep my away from Sasuke after that. So the next week I didn't show up thanks to him. I missed seeing Sasuke actually. It was strange. I hadn't really thought I would feel that much for him. Still I figured we were just really good friends at that point. Sasuke had come to another conclusion though. And it would take about five more months for me to figure out what it was.

I snuck out of the house that night, to apologize to Sasuke for my Neji being a total jerk. I was surprised that when I entered Sasuke wrapped me up in a hug. "I'm glad you're okay. You didn't show up...I was worried." I shook my head, and told him all about my cousin kidnapping me. He smiled at that, a real genuine smile. I'd never actually seen it before so I was startled. "As long as you're okay," he said.

I was a little concerned about his change of behavior. Why was he suddenly worried about me? He'd never seemed that interested before. But I accepted it as he was finally starting to open up to me. So I figured that meant I could open up to him too.

After that night Sasuke wanted to see me more. He'd been in his "home" for about eight months, and it was making him antsy. We spent a day cleaning it. And I got to decorate. It was funny to watch his facial expression when he realized I'd put a pink shower curtain up. I also got to decorate the other rooms too and by the time I was done, it actually looked bright and happy and not so much like a prison.

Eventually he'd reached a year in his confine, and Tsunade decided he was allowed to go outside. I, of course, was overjoyed by this news because the little house I visited very frequently was starting to annoy me. And if it annoyed me that much when I spent so much less time there compared to Sasuke, it must have been killing him on the inside.

One of the things I liked about Sasuke during this time of our friendship was how he could totally take my mind off of Naruto. It was almost like he was the replacement. But not. Sasuke was too different to be considered a replacement. He was like something brand new.

I remember the first day of his freedom. I was with him because it was a big deal to me. Fortunately, Neji gave up on preventing me from visiting Sasuke when he learned I was sneaking out at night. He figured visiting in the daylight was safer than sneaking out so he just let me go.

I was surprised that Father didn't care about the amount of time I spent with Sasuke. It seemed like something he should have been opposed to. Considering that he thought that the Sharingan was just "a watered down version of the Byakugan." At the time, I thought it was because he could see that I was finally happy again. I was more outspoken and stronger after spending time with Sasuke, and he wasn't about to put a stop to that kind of behavior.

Of course, I know differently now. Father could see that I was falling in love with him, just as he could see that Sasuke was already in love with me. I have no idea how he knew this, but he did. He told me that he'd let me go because he'd always wondered what a Sharingan Byakugan cross would be like.

It's funny to contemplate on that, but I still haven't told you how I found out that Sasuke liked me. On the day he was released, he decided that he wanted to spar. And since I was the only immediate person available, we just decided to spar against each other. He took it easy on me obviously, even though he really hadn't done much training for a year.

I was using my soft fist style, trying to hit him in the arm. He was only using taijutsu, and he didn't even have the Sharingan activated. I wouldn't have wanted to deal with his many variations of Chidori either. Anyways, as I moved in for the hit, he side stepped and caught my wrist. I really don't remember exactly what happened, but I ended up on the ground…underneath of him.

Sasuke's face was very close to mine. I could feel his breath brush against my neck. My face flushed…that's an understatement, it felt like I was burning. His body pressed against mine, pinning me down. He lips moved closer to mine. My mouth hung open is shock. And then he kissed me.

It's hard to describe. I was surprised that he'd done it, but I realized that it was what I wanted. I had never admitted it to myself, but I had fallen for Sasuke. And now he was kissing me in such a magical and seductive way I hoped it would never stop.

It had to end though. Neither of us could breathe with how tightly we were clinging to each other. He pulled back and stared into my eyes. My heart fluttered as I gazed into his ebony eyes. What I saw in them was so much different from what I'd seen there the first time I'd visited him. He was content now. I realized that my eyes probably reflected the same thing. "Sasuke," I whispered as I reached up to brush his bangs out of his face.

"Hinata...I think I've fallen in love with you," Sasuke said, giving me a quick kiss before climbing off of me. I stared up at him, still too breathless to actually make my body do anything. He reached his hand down to pull me up.

I accepted, grabbing his hand and letting him haul me to my feet. I stumbled into his chest, and he caught me, wrapping his arms around my waist. I didn't know what was going on and was still in a daze. I should have seen it before now. This relationship had grown so gradually, the growth had been almost indiscernible. But I realized why it had happened. While he pulled me out of the darkness inside of me, I pulled him out of the darkness inside of him. We had grown close over time. And even though we learned on that day that we loved each other, we were not ones to rush into anything.

We started by walking hand-in-hand back to the center of the village. He was walking me home. It was probably the most awkward moment of my life. Everyone was watching us, and I knew the news would spread fast. The survivor of the Uchiha clan was romantically involved with the Hyuuga heiress. I sighed knowing that I'd have to tell father as soon as we got home.

I was very surprised when Sasuke did it for me. He walked into father's chambers and introduced himself formally. He asked my father if he could date me. I watched my father's eyes light up with amusement. I thought he was going to say no, but he stood up, clapped Sasuke on the shoulder, and told him, "She's yours as long as she stays as happy as she's been the last few months spending time with you." Sasuke nodded his thanks and flashed me a grin.

We just got closer and closer after that. We broke down our barriers even more. Sasuke told me about his brother, I told him about my mother. Our lives were laid bare to each other. There were no secrets. We started taking our relationship to a more physical level, seeing how far we were willing to take it. I eventually set my foot down and told him that we weren't going to seal the deal until we were married.

He agreed to it with a smirk on his face. What I didn't know was that he'd already asked my father for permission. So the moment I'd said, "Not until we're married," he pulled out a ring and asked me to be his wife. I was totally unprepared for it. But I of course said yes. We'd been together for a year and a half then. I knew that he was what I wanted.

So my wish from when I was a child was going to be coming true. I was getting married. It was a larger ceremony than I had wanted, but Father insisted that I invite the entire Hyuuga clan. I was the heiress after all, so the wedding was important in the clan. Other than that, I only invited people close to me and Sasuke. Hanabi was my maid of honor and Kurenai, Tenten, and Sakura were my bridesmaids. I'd forgiven Sakura a long time ago. Sasuke had roped Neji, Shikamaru, and Kakashi into being groomsmen. Naruto was the best man.

It was my dream wedding. I'll never forget holding onto my father's arm walking the aisle. Or the look on Sasuke's face as he watched me. Everything was perfect. We kissed passionately after our vows were exchanged. Everyone cheered and I couldn't help but let the tears of joy flow out of my eyes.

We had a reception afterwards. Everything had been held at the Hyuuga compound because it was big enough for everyone. Sasuke couldn't keep his hands off of me the whole time. I knew what he was waiting for, and I certainly understood the feeling. It's what I wanted more than anything else. But we had to stay until the party died down. That, of course, didn't prevent Sasuke from tracing every inch of my skin with his fingers.

Eventually the party ended, everyone giving us their blessing. Sasuke and I had decided to go to the Uchiha mansion, knowing that the Hyuuga compound would not offer us any privacy. Sasuke had made a jest about having to thank Itachi for giving him this kind of privacy. Our wedding night was...well...it was awkward and good. I'm blushing madly just thinking about it, so that's all you get to know.

We've been living together, as man and wife for a little over two years now. Not too much has changed. Sasuke works as an Anbu having been forgiven of his past sins. I teach at the academy. I love children, but as of yet haven't been able to conceive. We live in the Uchiha mansion, but I frequently get called to clan meetings. We've stayed with my father a good number of times too. He always likes to nag us about not producing any grandchildren. Sasuke always takes it as a blow to his ego. And yes, Sasuke still has an ego.

Every time I reflect on this, what Neji and Hanabi told me when I was going through my rough spot always seems to stand out. Hanabi had said that everything would be fine, that I would be okay. Neji told me, "With time you'll see how everything works out for the better." And I definitely can see that. I said that destiny slaps up in the face. That's true...to an extent. Destiny has a funny way of taking our dreams and making them more than what we ever hoped for. And in the process of changing the dreams, you have to struggle. I thought that I wanted Naruto. But that ended up hurting me. Hurting me in a way that would lead me to connect with Sasuke, and end up with the man of my dreams.

Next time you'll get to see Sasuke's side of this story. I'm very excited to see how he describes this! See you all and thanks so much for reading my story.


	2. Sasuke's Story

_Finally got this one done. And I definately should have been doing all sorts of other things. Like working on a graded paper. But essays are not nearly as fun as fiction. So clearly this one won out. Fun stuff is this. Yay!

* * *

_My past is a dark, touchy subject I like to avoid. I've spent so much time dwelling on it, that I no longer want to keep it in my mind. Okay, that's a lie. In my more recent past, sunshine started peaking through the gloom. A pale, smiling face with ivory eyes and indigo hair who always reminds me of my mother. 

Ah yes, my family. The Uchiha Clan. We had strict rules. But I was too young to think of them as such. I think this one of the things that made Itachi snap. My brother's betrayal still stings, even though our conflict has been resolved for several years. Anyways, my childhood was defined by my adoration of my brother, and my need for my father's attention. The two went hand-in-hand really. The more like Itachi I became, the more my father would be proud of me. Of course, Father dedicated most of his time to Itachi, "the future of the clan." The irony of this astounds me. Yeah, Itachi was the future of the clan. Ensuring their future as corpses.

My life had seemed normal when I was a child. I had a loving mother, a caring brother, and a distant father. As much as Father ignored me, I took comfort from what my mother told me. "He only talks about you when it's just him and me. Your brother is the future leader of this clan, so your father must make sure he's ready to take his place when the time comes. That's why his attention is mainly focused on your brother," she'd said. (A/N- Stupid Sasuke and his overdone clichéd back story. I really don't want to write this. But I'm going to. Because it needs to be done.)

I'd nodded and accepted her answer. I watched as Father and Itachi grew apart. I watched my brother's defection. It stings now to think that I was so oblivious to all the signs. But then Father started paying attention to me. I proved myself to him, performing the Great Fireball Technique to prove my worthiness of being considered an adult in the Uchiha clan. I was seven years old.

The demon of my life is Itachi. I know now that most of what he did was to manipulate me. He'd pretended to be the kind caring older brother. And I know that at one point he was. Before he became ANBU and had been influenced by Madara, I'm sure he cared about me. But then he'd been influenced to gain more power by obtaining the Mangekyou. He killed his best friend, and then to see exactly how much more power he'd gained, he killed everyone else. His "mentor" helped him take out everyone.

I came home from the academy late that night. I'd walked into the Uchiha district only to find corpses everywhere. I ran home, terrified. I found Itachi there. Standing over the dead forms of my parents. I remember being terrified and running away. He followed me and told me that I should channel my hatred toward him, gain the Mangekyou and avenge the clan. I came to learn much later that the only reason he'd done any of this was to manipulate me into gaining the Mangekyou so that he could take my eyes. He'd left me alive to be his spare.

Because of everything that had happened, I did as my brother had instructed. I tried to foster my hatred toward him. But the peaceful Konoha was not good enough to get me to my brother's level. I realized this when I first got beat by Gaara. Then my brother showed me just how much further I still had to go to catch up. The last point was when the Mist Swordsman called me weak. He called the clan weak. It was too much. Naruto, the loser, was catching up, and I couldn't handle that. So when Orochimaru's minions came for me, I went with them willingly.

Of course, they couldn't just leave me alone. Konoha sent people after me, trying to get me back. I had to fight Naruto in the Valley of the End. Such an ironic place for the battle now that I think about it. The founding fathers of Konoha watched over us, Uchiha Madara and the Shodaime Hokage. The Uchiha traitor and the Hokage. Naruto isn't actually the Hokage yet, but he's well on his way there. It was a grueling fight, but I came out the victor. I had the opportunity to do as my brother instructed right then. I could have killed my best friend, and gained the Mangekyou. But my father's words resonated in my head. "Don't follow your brother." The order I remembered oh so clearly. I also refused to give him the pleasure of seeing me obtain power in the same way I had. So I let Naruto live.

There were several times in the past when I regretted that decision. He constantly tried to get me back from Orochimaru. He never succeeded, but he still managed to get in my way. I spent about three years with Orochimaru, training and become more and more powerful. When the time for him to move into my body arrived, I killed him, absorbing his power. I formed my own team and went after my brother. I really didn't care about any of them, but they proved extremely useful.

I'm not going into the details, but I did manage to find and kill my brother. The Konoha nins were there to bring me back. I had no qualms. Itachi was dead. But I did want to go after Madara. But with his main objective being either me or Naruto, if we stuck together, I figured we'd draw him out eventually.

And we did. Somehow, we managed to win when the legendary immortal came after us. But after winning I realized I had nothing left to live for. All of my life had been shattered. I was an empty shell. What else was I going to do with myself?

I went back to Konoha, where I was immediately placed under house arrest. I was placed in a building. They called it a home, but it was a far cry from it. ANBU sat outside of the building at all times watching me, under orders to kill me if I tried anything. I sort of wondered if they would have been able to had they tried. Probably not though...my strength was unparalleled. I'd killed my brother. I'd killed Orochimaru. I'd even managed to take out the legendary Uchiha Madara. Who would be able to stop me? No one. But I didn't want to become like any of the people I'd killed. Which was why I was allowing myself to be subjected to such treatment.

I think the other reason I allowed myself to stay imprisoned was because I had no purpose left. Everything was gone, I'd settled all of the hatred in my heart and I was a shell that felt nothing on the inside except the remnants of my hate. Bitterness and cynicism consumed me. There was nothing in the world that was worthwhile so not being a part of it barely bothered me.

I didn't pay attention to the people that came to offer their support. I didn't care. Naruto and Sakura's happy chatter only annoyed me. I wanted silence. I wanted to wallow in my empty shell and never feel anything ever again. I wished that I could just die and end the Uchiha clan's miserable state of existence. I was the only one left. I wanted nothing to do with anything. They came to visit me regularly and it only made me angry. They brought Sai with them too. I hated him. I don't think I realized it at the time, but deep down the reason for my feelings toward the black haired boy was my jealousy that they'd replaced me. I treated them all indifferently, because that's what I felt. Indifferent. A horrible, all consuming indifference.

Those three were about the only ones to visit me regularly. Sometimes groups of people would come to see me, but I'd treat them all the same—with disinterest—and they'd leave within a few minutes of arriving. No one had the guts to come by themselves besides Naruto, and he and Sakura were practically joined at the hip. Which is what surprised me most when the quiet Hyuuga heiress came to see me. She and I had never even spoken in the past. I had no idea why she'd want to come see me, much less why she'd come to see me without accompaniment.

I still treated her with the same indifference I gave everyone. And it wasn't long before she turned and left. I'd sighed in relief when she'd left, glad to be by myself once more to wallow in my own world. I didn't need out. I didn't want out. I was satisfied with where I was at. She turned and left before too long, not saying a word. I shrugged my shoulder and forgot about it. If she'd wanted something, she'd have asked. It wasn't worth my time to think about it.

The problem was I had nothing better to do. I lived in my own head, reliving my past. Nightmares still plagued my sleep, even though I'd taken out the creator of those bad memories. My brain was probably tired of dwelling on the same things. So it took the liberty of turning to new things.

The following week she came again. She stood looking at me. It annoyed me, how she just stood there, too scared to even look me in the eye or open her mouth. After the week of thinking on it, her actions seemed to me like pity. And I didn't want it. Her pity. So as my anger increased I confronted her about her being there, emotionlessly asking her, "Why are you here?"

She opened her mouth to speak, only to let out a small noise and start crying. I was surprised, but didn't move as she fell on her knees and rested her forehead on the floor. Her tears hit the wooden floor, landing with tiny, barely perceptible splashes. She was sobbing, words flying out of her mouth so fast and indistinguishable that I couldn't make out more than a few words.

I'm sure I was looking at her with mild interest, because I felt more than a little interested in what she wanted now. No one had ever cried like that in front of me. I didn't really know what to do, thus the reason for me sitting and doing nothing. Though I probably wouldn't have anyways. I was still stuck in my own pain, not willing to leave it.

She eventually stopped crying, looking up at me as she sucked in a breath to steady herself. "I was wondering...if you could tell me...why are you so important to him?"

I stared at her, contemplating for a moment. "We...share...similar paths," I said finally.

The confusion was clear on her face, but she nodded and stood up to leave. "Hinata? That's your name, right?" I asked.

She nodded. "Hai. I'm Hyuuga Hinata."

I closed my eyes in thought. "Is this the first time we've spoken?"

I watched her stop to consider this. "I...think so," she answered unsteadily.

I retreated into my own head, my dark thoughts consuming me. I was so alone, in so much pain. I wished that I could cry, like she had. I was angry with myself for being unable to openly express my emotions. I'm sure I looked absolutely pathetic when I opened my eyes again. I told her, "Come again. I'll tell you what you want to know." She turned and left then, leaving me to feel absolutely and bitterly alone. More so than I had in a very long time.

I had to wonder why her pain had made me start feeling mine again. I'd shut it all out for a long time. I'd turned my pain into hatred in my search for vengeance. But now that the vengeance was fulfilled, the hatred had withered away. I'd been numb for a while, but now the pain had resurfaced. It was an odd experience for me, feeling the old wound get opened again, even after I'd applied ointment and bandaged it and ignored the pain for so long.

The week passed. I spent all of my time digging through my memories, clinging to the pain. I was looking for something bright in the horror to make me feel better. The only thing that stuck out was my mother's smiling face, my father's words of praise after demonstrating that I could use the Katon, that I was a worthy member of the Uchiha family. I wanted to cling to those memories and block out all the rest. But the rest wouldn't go away. I'd been to this place before, after the incident with Itachi had happened. The denial. I cleared my head. It was all over. I needed to move on.

I was sitting at a table drinking tea when Hinata came to visit me next. "I was expecting you," I said, setting down my cup. She nodded in acknowledgement and gulped. I waved my hand, calling her over to sit down opposite of me. She did as instructed, sinking down to her knees. She served herself tea, not taking her eyes off of the liquid in her reluctance to start the conversation. When she finally looked up at me, I swallowed the tea in my mouth before asking, "Why is knowing important to you?"

Confusion spread on her features. "What?"

"Why do you want to know what it is that makes me special to Naruto?"

"I…I…" Hinata was stuttering. I wasn't really surprised, having already figured out that she was extremely shy from her first visit. So to help her, I didn't look at her directly, keeping my gaze off of her. "I want to uh...see if I can get his attention. And you seemed to have had it, so I was wondering how."

I smirked. I knew exactly where this was going. "What?" she asked. I could only shake my head.

"You won't win," I said as kindly and gently as I could. I knew this would hurt, but I had to tell her. Embracing the truth made the healing process easier. She looked confused by my comment. "He's not going to give Sakura up for you. I may not have been around much lately, but I know how he was before..." I elaborated. This only served to cause Hinata to burst into tears. I felt bad for making her cry. I really did. But it had to be done. I had seen enough of Naruto and Sakura together to know that Hinata was never going to be more than just a friend to him, even if I didn't care. I wasn't stupid or naïve. I knew where their relationship was headed, and Hinata wasn't going to be a part of it.

I sat and stared at the crying girl thinking about how she had to be hurt. My words must have cut very deep. She reminded me of me in some obscure way. She was clinging to her feelings to make her wishes reality. It was just like what I'd done. I'd clung to hate to make Itachi's death reality. That one had come true. But her love for Naruto was not going make him love her back. I didn't move when she stopped crying and ran out. I stared at the space she'd previously occupied. How come her pain made me feel mine? It didn't make sense.

I languished in sorrow and loneliness the next week. My past still haunted me, the nightmares attacking with new ferocity. I tried to sleep as little as possible, but every time I closed my eyes, Itachi's face appeared before me. The dreams were filled with blood. One was particularly terrible, everyone had been killed. Everyone. I was the only one left. I woke up screaming, sweat pouring down my body. I stumbled into the bathroom, collapsing on the floor. My head betrayed me, showing memories of my parents' dead bodies and my brother giving me instructions, telling me to get strong enough to kill him.

I don't know why, but I started crying then, cursing and saying that I didn't want revenge. I screamed at myself, telling myself that it was over. That the horrible nightmare was over. An image of Hinata crying flashed in front of my face. I slammed my hand on the ground in frustration. I had caused her pain, made her cry the last time she had been here. I hated myself. I was no better than my brother. I was a murderer, a betrayer. I'd caused others pain.

My angry tears ceased. Standing up, I washed off my face. I scowled at the reflection at the mirror. I was a wretched person. Why did I even bother living? There was nothing to look forward to. More death. More pain. More disappointing people who cared about me.

I spent the whole day on the couch, staring up at the ceiling. I didn't bother turning on the lights. What was the point? My life was meaningless. I was worthless. It started getting darker as the sun sunk. It was almost completely dark when I heard the door open and my lights turned on. I heard footsteps, ones that I'd heard before and could recognize as being Hinata's. Without moving or looking over, I asked, "Why are you here?"

"I...noticed all the lights were off and wondered if something was wrong." With a sigh, he glanced over me and shook his head.

"I'm sorry," were the first words out of my mouth. I could tell she was definitely confused about it. So I clarified by saying, "I didn't mean to make you cry last...time."

She bowed her head, looking at the floor. "Uh...it's okay. You were telling me the truth." I was very relieved that she wasn't angry with me. Or at least, if she had been, she had forgiven me. I sat up. "Do I...never mind," I started, only to rethink my words and decide to not ask the question.

"What?" Hinata asked, trying to extract the question from me.

"Am I frightening to you?"

She gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. "Yes...when you ask questions like that," was her reply. I smirked because I'd seen the alarm on her face that now wanted to turn into a smile. "It depends on how you act. You're not too bad right now."

Realizing that I hadn't eaten anything all day, I stood up and made my way to my little kitchen. "Nothing good," I said upon finding nothing worth eating in my refrigerator.

"Do you want this?" she asked, offering me a bag of her leftovers. I glanced over eyeing the bag before glancing up at her face. With a nod I accepted the offer. She handed me the food before she announced that she had to get home. With a nod I acknowledged what she said. Before I took a bit of the food, I said "Come over again sometime. It's so lonely in here whenever I don't have visitors." I looked down sadly, thinking about how I'd spent my entire day laying around and being miserable.

"I'll come by next week," she said quietly before turning around to walk out of the house.

Just as she'd promised Hinata came to visit me the next week. It was the afternoon and while she was there Sakura and Naruto came for a visit together. I knew almost immediately how this was going to affect Hinata. She still wouldn't be ready to have to deal with the two of them together even if she'd started getting over the idea. I watched her harder her resolve. She was going to refuse to cry with them in the room so she stared at me, trying to use me to block them out completely.

I felt a twang of what resembled pride when she succeeded. She didn't start crying until after they'd left. It had to have been hard for her, so I sat down beside her, trying to be a presence to offer her comfort. She cried for a while, but not quite with the same despair and pain as she had the first few times she had. After her tears ceased, I looked at her red puffy eyes and whitewashed complexion. I stood up and told her, "You might want to wash up before you leave. It'll feel good to wash away the tears with fresh water." She nodded, moving to do as I'd suggested. I moved to my couch, picking up a book while I waited for Hinata to finish. I glanced up at her when she walked in the room. "Did it help?" I asked.

"It did. How did you know it would help?"

"I have spent a lot of time...in tears," I answered. "It was a long time ago, I don't cry anymore, but I remember how it felt." I was denying that I had just cried a week earlier. But other than that it had been a very long time since I'd cried. And I figured that she didn't need to know that I had, and perhaps if I ignored that it had happened then I could pretend that it hadn't.

Hinata nodded. "Well thank you for your advice," she said. "I'll see you next week then?" I nodded my agreement. She bowed and left my house.

Our weekly meetings continued for about four months. We talked about trivial matters. Occasionally serious ones would come up as well. Hinata stopped crying as she grew accustomed to the idea of Naruto only ever being a friend. That wound still hurt her, I could tell. She'd still get antsy whenever Naruto and Sakura came and she was there. Her deeply rooted love of Naruto would remain for a long time. She'd eventually move on. She was a very attractive girl. And just so you know, I didn't think of her like that at this point. I could look at her and tell she was beautiful, even if I wasn't interested in her. It was sort of looking at a well done piece of art. Okay… that still sounds terrible, but I think you understand. I wasn't attracted to her, but she was attractive.

We became comfortable in each other's presence. We learned how to joke around with each other. I started being less lonely all the time. I was still cold and removed on my exterior, but on the inside, I knew I was opening up. I had confronted my inner demons and had come out on top. I'd removed the source of my hatred by accepting it. I crushed my still festering hatred of my brother. I let go of my past. Hinata was still quiet and shy around me, but we had managed to step outside of ourselves a little bit because of the time we spent getting to know each other. We were plenty happy just sitting quietly together because we weren't alone.

There came the day when Hinata didn't show up. At first I just figured she'd come later in the day. But then the sun set, and she still didn't come. And against my will, I started to get anxious. I was pacing, imagining all the bad things that could have happened to Hinata. And as each scenario played out, they became gradually worse and worse and I started feeling panicked.

I was contemplating breaking out, just to go make sure she was okay. I was ready to do it too, getting ready to break down my door. My hand hovered over the handle as a reel of the consequences played through my head. I could definitely get past most of the guards without having to get into a fight. Even if I did have to fight, I'd probably kill someone. Then I'd be in even more trouble, and I might not get to see her. "Hinata," I said out loud to myself as I backed away from the door.

I didn't understand why she mattered to me. Why would not being able to see her bother me like this? I sat down on my couch, brooding. What exactly was she to me? Why did I feel a little better about myself whenever I was around her? Why did I miss her so much? Why was her absense driving me mad?

Her face flashed in across my thoughts, round and pale, cheeks tinted pink as she blushed. She smiled shyly in my head and looked through her bangs at me with those colorless eyes.

I shook my head to clear my thoughts. What was going on with me? I'd never experienced anything like this. I sighed in aggravation. I needed to get a hold of myself. Hinata was fine. Nothing had happened to her. She was probably too busy.

The door opened then, and Hinata walked in. If I'd any control of myself I would have sat on the couch emotionlessly and let her greet me. Instead, I had to go embrace her in relief. "I'm glad you're okay," I told her. "You didn't show up...I was worried." She just looked at me in shock, too speechless from being in my arms to say anything at that moment. That would have been when I became quite aware of the fact that she was female. Her...endowments pressed against my chest, and my head was dragging me down an interesting train of thoughts. I let her go, and she smiled up at me, having no idea what the embrace had just made me realize.

She told me about her cousin's aversion to allowing her to see me in that quiet voice of hers. I paid attention, but I was thinking about my discovery. I liked Hinata. Romantically liked Hinata. She finished her story. I had been listening and her annoyance at Neji's behavior made me smile. She looked up at me with wide eyes. "As long as you're okay," I'd told her.

But that seemed to create a problem. If Neji refused to let her see me, how in the world would I be able to figure out how to tell Hinata the truth. She left after that, after promising me that she would still visit me, even if it had to be late at night.

I knew I would have to wait awhile to tell her. She was still just getting over her heartbreak. I knew. Because I was the person she cried to about it. It was still too soon for her to return my feelings. So I decided to pretend like nothing had changed in me and my thoughts of her.

And you bet I had thoughts about her. I spent a lot of time sitting in a dark house, all by myself. I had plenty of time to just sit and think. Most of them were dark, about how she'd never accept me. But every once in a while, I'd have a flash of hope, thinking that maybe someday we would...

I tried not to hold onto hope too much. Hope always seemed to cause me pain. It was better to just be cynical. But every week she came to visit me. For a while it was late at night. And eventually it seemed like Neji gave up and she started coming in the day again. And every single time I felt better. It was like there was finally sun shining through my clouds. My heart pounded when she was around. Yeah, I was nervous. I had a crush on her, and well, it was my first crush. So I didn't really know how to act. I wanted to get her attention, but I didn't want to hurt her after her recent heartbreak. So I just asked her to come visit me more often, telling her that I got bored all by myself. She had just smiled and agreed.

That was probably another of the reasons why I fell in love. She was very agreeable and acquiesced to almost anything I asked of her. She wasn't annoying, she was quiet, she was unimposing but could get the job done, stubborn if her mind was set. Wow...I'm digressing. Okay, so she kept coming to visit me, more like two or three times a week now. Eventually she decided my "house" was too gloomy, so I gave her free decorating reign. And she turned my bathroom pink. I was rather angry about that since I was the only one occupying the room on a regular basis, but then she giggled at my reaction, and I couldn't stay mad at her. Instead I just sighed in frustration. It was... her smile changed my mood completely.

It took all of my will to keep myself from telling her right then what I thought about her, wrapping her in my arms and kissing her. But I succeeded in keeping myself off of her. We worked on the living room area together, cleaning, talking, and painting the walls white. It was very enjoyable. But any time I spent with her was enjoyable. She...I don't know. She made me feel like a part of me that I had been missing was starting to resurface.

In all honesty it was true. The part that had left was my heart. I realized that I'd had my heart broken by my brother. I'd loved him, and in return, he'd trampled all over that trust and adoration. I'd locked it away, not wanting to feel the sting of betrayal ever again. As I grew, I considered letting it out once more, but I knew that doing so would get in my way. If I wanted to take down my brother, I'd have no time for something trivial like romance or love. But now that part of my life was behind me. And Hinata was pulling my heart back to the surface.

When I look back, I think of her being more like my sun. I gravitated towards her, slowly and surely. She slowly started to consume all of my thoughts. She'd made me confront my own pain, and overcome it. Just like she'd slowly but surely confronted her pain. I came to realize that I wanted out of my prison so I could spend all of my time with her. I didn't want to be separate anymore. And eventually that time came.

* * *

I was released, roughly a year after I'd returned and been imprisoned. I also figured Hinata was over Naruto now. So I was ready to go there, to see if a relationship that was more than just friendship would work. I was at the point where I wouldn't have even have cared if I was just her replacement for Naruto. She meant too much to me for this to stop me.

My first day out, I wanted to fight. I hadn't fought in so long, I wanted to remember how it felt. Since Hinata was there with me, she was the person I ended up sparring with. I knew that even though I was rusty from not using anything in such a long time I was more powerful than she. I had a fuller arsenal of weapons. So I took it easy. She went for my chakra points using her soft fist style. It was hard to counteract that just by using taijutsu. There was a lot of dodging on both of our parts and it was a fairly even match considering that I was only using a third of my abilities.

She dove in for a hit, I grabbed her wrist, throwing her down on her back. She hit a chakra point on my leg and I fell, landing on top of her. All kinds of perverted thoughts filled my mind at that point. I had the woman I had been secretly wanting for months underneath of me. I was leaning in, without realizing it. I felt like I was on fire from the touch of her perspiring body underneath of mine. Her rapid breathing on my face sent shut all thought process in my brain off. Leaning down, my lips touched hers.

I wasn't really expecting the reaction I got in return. Instead of pulling back in shock, she wrapped her arms around my neck, pulling herself against me and kissing me back with as much fervor as I was kissing her with. It felt like we stayed like that forever, on the ground wrapped in each other's arms passionately kissing. Eventually I needed to stop for air. I pulled back and looked down at her. She was filled with happiness. Her ivory eyes sparkled with it. I could feel it in myself. The happiness that I hadn't felt in such a very long time. "Sasuke," she whispered to me, reaching up to brush my bangs back.

"Hinata... I think I've fallen in love with you," I said, quickly kissing her before standing up. She took my proffered hand, and I pulled her to her feet. She was clearly light headed after that, stumbling into me. I caught her of course, holding her up. My arms were wrapped around her waist. I could see Hinata radiate with happiness as she came to accept that she felt the same way for me and I had about her. But I could still tell that there was no point in rushing this relationship. It had taken a year to get this far. It was probably for the best to keep it at a slower pace.

I knew as soon as we headed down into the center of Konoha hand-in-hand, Hiashi would have to be told. It would be best to hear it from me before gossip got to him. So I planned on talking to him as soon as we got to the Hyuuga complex. I walked into his office with Hinata at my side. "I'm Uchiha Sasuke," I'd said, bowing to the head of the current most prominent clan in Konoha. "I'd like to ask for permission to date your daughter."

He barely hesitated after I asked the question, standing up to clap me on the shoulder. "She's yours as long as she stays as happy as she's been the last few months spending time with you." I said my thanks, turning around and smiling to Hinata.

After that time, we became very close, spending almost all of our time together. I spent a fair amount of time reestablishing Konoha's police force. I wanted the Uchiha clan to take back its original duty within Konoha. But other than that and my few missions, I was with Hinata. We talked openly about our pasts, revealing how we had been hurt. Of course, we both already knew a fair amount about these subjects, but we were at the point of keeping no secrets.

We also started to get a lot more physical. Almost everything was acceptable as long as it wasn't sex. It was at this point, being almost a year into our official relationship, that I realized where this was headed. And I knew at some point Hinata was going to tell me that we would have to wait until we were married. So I started planning it. I asked for Hiashi's permission first, and he agreed. I bought the ring, waiting for the best moment to ask.

We were getting very hot and heavy at one point, I had all of her clothes off, planting kisses the whole way down her body. She gasped as I pushed her legs open, then sat up abrubtly, snapping her legs closed. It was the moment I'd been waiting for. "We're not going the whole way until we're married," she told me authoritatively. And I reached into my pant pocket and pulled out the ring.

"Well then," I said. "How about we just get married then?"

She agreed. Forgetting about her complete nudity, she wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me. I ignored this fact though, knowing it wouldn't do well to proceed where we left off before she'd stopped me.

We tried to keep our hands off until the wedding, knowing that it would be very hard to contain ourselves. Hinata, Hanabi, and almost all the other girls in the village made the preparations with Hiashi paying for it. I was fortunate that I was only really expected to buy the ring and get my suit.

I picked out my groomsmen as well. I picked people who I was in some way associated with. Neji was an obvious choice because he was Hinata's cousin. Kakashi had been my teacher in the past. Shikamaru was just there and not really doing anything else, and he didn't perpetually bother me. Naruto was my best man because he was the closest person to being my best friend.

I wasn't really expecting it, but I was nervous on the day of the wedding. I wasn't so worried about making the decision to be with Hinata my whole life. I'd made that decision a long time ago. It was more because I was so excited.

I'll never forget standing at the alter and watching Hinata walk towards me. She was beautiful. Even more beautiful that I had ever imagined that she'd be. It was like watching a diamond walk towards me. We both said our 'I do's before kissing. Hinata was crying, not the tears of sadness she'd cried when we first met, but tears of joy.

The reception (as well as the ceremony) was held in the meeting house in the Hyuuga compound. We ate, danced, and talked our way around, much to my chagrin because all I really wanted was to get her back to the Uchiha complex and bedded. Which was why I decided to drive her crazy with my caresses. Every bit of skin that she'd left exposed, I touched, and I knew from the way she pressed her body against me in response that it was working.

Eventually, the party died down, and everyone left. I was quick to scoop Hinata up and carry her to the Uchiha mansion. "You know, for once I'm glad that Itachi killed everyone. Now we get to spend our wedding night in a giant house all by ourselves."

I got her out of her dress, planting kisses all over her body.

It was definately a little awkward. Neither of us had gone the whole way in the past, so we had no idea what we were doing. But like most things that involve emotions, hormones, and instints, the brain shut off and the body took control. It was a thoroughly enjoyable experience that impacted my life more than other. I was never going to leave Hinata ever. If my mind hadn't completely been made up before, it was now a statement of fact.

It's been about two years since then. I'm head of the Police Department. I also serve as an ANBU. Hinata works as a Jounin teacher at the academy. It suits her just fine because she is wonderful with children. I can't wait until we have our own, not only for the purpose of restoring the clan but because I know how happy Hinata will be when it happens. And Hiashi will finally stop insulting me. Every single time I see him he just has to insult my inability to give him a grandchild. We do get along, but we sort of like to compete against each other. A lot of what I do revolves around Hinata's happiness. If you'd told me a few years ago that I'd be bending to the will of a woman, much less Hyuuga Hinata, I'd have said you were crazy. But now I wouldn't have it any other way.

* * *

_I'm so happy that this is finally finished. Praises! Yayz! I know I changed some stuff from Hinata's but it's not too major._


End file.
